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ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
iv. ADVENTURES WITH PETER

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   WAKING UP THE NEXT morning was a puzzle to Riley. With a thin blanket draped over her cold body and her arm losing feeling after her head being pressed against it all night, she felt like she'd just woken up from a coma. When she peeled open her eyes, the sun's morning rays beamed directly into them, burning her pupils on the spot. Quietly groaning, she flipped over on her side, only now realizing that she was laying on the floor in the living area.

   Her face contorted with discomfort and confusion. "What the hell...?" She propped herself up on her elbow and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "JO... Did I fall asleep on the floor...?"

   "Good morning, Miss Stark," greeted JOCASTA. "Today is Wednesday. It's 8:09 AM. You've missed first period completely." Riley groaned at this. "Mr. Parker left you a message before he left."

   There was a pause before Peter Parker's voice went booming throughout the condo. "Hiya, Riley!" the boy greeted. Riley winced at the volume of his voice. "Oh, you're probably just waking up when you hear this."

   He paused before continuing with a quieter voice. "Hey, Riley," Peter started again. "I hope you slept alright. I was gonna sleep on the couch and put you in your room, but you were really persistent on sleeping on the floor. And you were so comfortable laying on me that I felt bad trying to move you." Riley's eyes widened, blushing without realizing. She must've been ridiculously delirious and exhausted by that point in the evening. "Anyways, I just left to go home and brush my teeth and let May know I didn't die since I didn't go home last night... obviously. But when I get back, we're gonna go on an adventure, alright? Who needs school? I mean, we do—Actually, you don't. You're really smart. If anything, I do."

  Riley lightly laughed at his rambling, standing up and continuing to listen to the message. She draped the blanket over the couch once more. She pressed the side of her head as a headache began to make itself known. "Anyways... You had a tough day yesterday and I wanted to help make up for it. If you're still asleep by the time I come back, I'm gonna wake you up and it won't be pretty." Peter chuckled at his own words. "Anyways, see you soon, Ghostie!" He paused. "Okay, that's it. You can end it, JOCASTA. You can turn it—"

   There was a beeping sound that indicated the end of his message. Riley shook her head. Peter really stayed the night? For her? Just to make sure she was okay? Riley smiled at the thought. Peter was too kind for his own good. Though, Riley supposed that was what good friends do, right?

   Riley stretched her arms outward and released a quiet yawn. She didn't realize how badly she needed to sleep in until now. She was surprised JOCASTA even allowed her to. She'd woken up at the crack of dawn everyday for as long as she could remember. Sleeping in wasn't apart of her usual agenda. It was something she was able to do once in a blue moon. Then again, knowing JO, the A.I. probably turned off Riley's alarms for the sake of the girl being well-rested.

   She quickly, but not hurriedly, did her entire morning routine and changed her clothes by the time Peter went barging in through her front door.

   "Riley Juniper Stark, it's time to wake the hell up!" Peter shouted as he stomped through the threshold of the condo. "If you don't get up right now, I'll—Oh!" Peter paused, seeing Riley standing with a mixed expression of confusion and amusement on her face. "You're already awake...?"

   Riley shrugged, laughing lightly. "Am I?"

   "Hilarious," joked Peter. He walked forward and grabbed her wrist. "Come on, we have plans!"

   Just barely remembering to grab her keys on the way out, Riley was taken aback by Peter's strength. She always seemed to forget that he was strong enough to stop a train with his bare hands. "We do?" asked Riley.

   "Duh! I was being serious when I said we're going on an adventure!" exclaimed Peter. "Come on!"

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   When Peter said that he was taking Riley on an adventure, she really wasn't sure what she had been expecting. In all honesty, she was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Peter knew her middle name when she was pretty sure she never told him. Then again, when your entire biography is written in several supposedly confidential files, perhaps she shouldn't have been that concerned.

   The two settled down at a nearby park. The sun was shining despite the clouds casually rolling over it every once in a while. There was a mild breeze that forced the scent of the blooming flowers to waft into their noses. Sitting in the grass, Riley and Peter were eating sandwiches from Mr. Delmar's newly reopened deli shop.

   "Oh my God," Riley happily mumbled whilst swallowing another bite of her sandwich. "I've missed Mr. Delmar's sandwiches way more than I should admit."

   Nodding eagerly, Peter agreed, "They're the best. Thank God we don't have to pretend your sandwiches are a proper substitute."

   Riley's jaw dropped as Peter laughed and nudged her. "My sandwiches are awesome!" she defended. Although she sounded offended, Riley was laughing the entire time she had been speaking. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. trained agents and spies how to survive—not chefs and bakers. "They have bread and everything!"

   "Bread isn't the only thing that goes on sandwiches, you know."

   "At least I didn't blow up my microwave because I left a fork in my leftovers," teased Riley. She pointed her sandwich at him in an almost terrorizing manner.

   The two shared a laugh at the thought of Peter actually blowing up his microwave when he was a kid. "You know, maybe that's why May doesn't like leaving me alone in the kitchen nowadays," stated Peter.

   Riley shook her head. "I just don't understand how you can chemically create web fluid, but you barely know how to make cereal," playfully teased Riley.

   "Aren't you the same person that asked me what cow produces powdered milk?" Peter fired back, laughing at the memory.

   "I was kidding!" defended Riley with a laugh. She shrugged. "I guess that's why we're superheroes and not chefs." She looked back at Peter. "Hey, Bug-Boy, I have a question for you."

   "I might have an answer."

   Riley asked, "Who's your favorite superhero? Other than Tony, obviously."

   Peter took another bite out of his sandwich as the sun continued to warm their bodies. Riley couldn't help but feel more and more energized the longer she sat under the star. "Valor, of course," Peter replied. Riley rolled her eyes and nudged him, wanting a real response. "Hm... I dunno. Honestly, Riles, I think all of you guys are special in your own ways. Other than Mr. Stark, of course, I think my favorite might have to be Thor."

   Riley made an o-shape with her mouth. "Ohh, I should've figured," admitted Riley with a light laugh. She looked up at the sky. "I miss him. I wonder what he's up to. Hopefully everything's well on Asgard."

   "Pfft, what could possibly happen? Like Thor, of all people, would let Asgard get destroyed of something," Peter pointed out. This caused Riley to laugh. "What about you?" Riley glanced back at Peter, a questioning look on her face. "Who's your favorite superhero?"

   Riley had to think about it. "If you asked me that last year, I would've said Rob and Athena O'Dair, but we all know how that turned out," she joked, a bittersweet laugh attached to her words. "Hm... Well, realistically, I have to say Tony, right? He's my best friend and my dad. But then again, I was practically raised by S.H.I.E.L.D., which means I'd have to put Fury, Nat, and Clint on the list. Same with Hill and Coulson. Are they even considered superheroes? I think so—the ones that weren't compromised by HYDRA, at least... Then again, I love Thor, Rhodey, Wilson, Bruce, and Vision, as well as Wanda and Pietro. Roman and King T'Challa are on the list, too, of course. They're awesome. But Steve's basically the uncle I never had, and of course, you and Pepper are up there, too..."

   If Peter was being honest, he had no idea who a lot of the people Riley was listing were. He only knew the Avengers—not the names of every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent there was. He was just honored to even be amongst the names of the people she was listing. Peter couldn't help but be jealous. How did Riley get so lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people in her life? Of course, that couldn't be without all of the trauma that came with her mere existence.

   "But, wait, Pepper's not a superhero," pointed out Peter.

   Riley shrugged. "She is to me," admitted Riley. "I don't know how she manages to do so much and put up with me and my dad all while wearing six-inch heels." Riley smiled at the thought of Pepper, as well as all of the people she previously listed. "If I'm being honest, I have an answer, but I don't think I'm legally allowed to say who."

   Peter's eyes widened at the sound of this. "What!? Are there superheroes I don't know about?" the nerdy boy wondered. "Well, now you have to tell me!"

   "I can't! S.H.I.E.L.D. might've been compromised and torn apart, but I'm still loyal," she argued. With that being said, Peter proceeded to beg and plead her to tell him who her favorite superhero was for the next five minutes. She thought she could hold her own, but then again, S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen a long time ago. What could go wrong with her telling him who she was thinking of? "Alright, alright, I'll tell you! Geez, you're annoying, you know that?"

   Peter, who was now laying his head on Riley's lap as she leaned against her arms, shrugged. "It's my greatest talent," he joked, eliciting a laugh from Riley.

   Riley looked up at the sky as she began to tell her story. "By the time I was 10-years-old, I was a level eight agent, so I had the clearance to know most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets. But I was only ever interested in one. I used to beg Fury to tell me her story over and over again because it was so fascinating to me. Her name was Carol Danvers, but Fury liked to refer to her as Captain Marvel."

   "Carol Danvers?"

   "Mhm!" Riley confirmed. "I'd make Fury show me all of the files he had on her and show me the few pictures he had of her on record. I think she's the coolest hero ever. She only appeared on Earth as Captain Marvel in the 90's, so I never got to meet her. But if I ever did for some reason, I'd pass out for sure."

   Peter smiled at the thought of her fangirling over another superhero — just like him. He had never heard of Carol Danvers, but if she was cool enough to impress Valor, of all people, then she had to be amazing.

   They spent the next few hours like that. Talking, laughing. It was nice being able to genuinely laugh and smile after a night of horror. He always seemed to have the magic touch when it came to making his friends smile.

   Later, when they entered a comfortable silence, Peter admitted, "I really like it when you're like this."

   She tilted her head to the side at this statement. She turned to face him properly. He continued to stare out at the children playing in the park. "Like what?" she asked

   Peter shrugged. "You know, you're just... happier and you crack more jokes and you smile more," rambled Peter in explanation. "It just feels like you're being yourself. It's a nice change, you know, since you used to always be on edge with being an Avenger and Rob and stuff."

   "Well, I was trained all my life to be ready for anything. I don't think I ever thought I'd be ready to drop all of that for the chance at a normal life, even if it's just for a few years."

   Humming at this, Peter seemed to already be prepared with a response. "I really admire you, you know," shyly confessed Peter. "You're so badass and you never hide who you are anymore. It's just so cool how you can be yourself without worrying about anything else around you. Even when you were 'babysitting' me and you were trying to get me to like you so that we could be friends, you still managed to... be you, I guess. I dunno. I just really admire you as a person."

   Riley couldn't help but smile at Peter's kind words. "It's weird not having to pretend I'm some kid-adult anymore," began Riley, "but my life has changed so much since then. I mean, back then, I was pretending I was some hot-shot adult around all these agents all the time. I was only really myself with the Avengers, but when I'm with you, it feels the same. You make me want to be myself more."

   Strangely enough, his words hit her more than she had anticipated. Peter had a point: Riley didn't need to try or pretend anymore. She could be herself. She didn't have to hate herself for her past or pretend to be someone she wasn't. Not anymore.

   After another moment of silence, Peter glanced back at Riley. "I'll race you to my place," he challenged, shooting upward and already beginning to run off.

   "Hey, that's cheating!" Riley shouted, running after him. "Peter Benjamin Parker, wait up!"

   Riley didn't have to hide anymore, and it felt so sweet.

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   When Riley returned home at the end of the day, she changed out of her daytime clothes and greeted JOCASTA. It wasn't long until JOCASTA announced, "You have an incoming call from Mr. Stark. Would you like to answer?"

   Riley paused, considering it. "Uh, sure," she said through a yawn. She hadn't realized how tired she had been after her long day. She'd spent the entire day roaming around Queens with Peter, learning about all the little nooks and crannies that she'd never notice without a native.

   After a pause, Riley nearly leaped out of her skin when she heard Tony yell, "Jesus, it's about time!"

   "Good evening to you, too, old man," she sarcastically greeted.

  "You know, I've been calling worried sick since yesterday," Tony scolded. She walked into the bathroom as he continued to speak, proceeding to wash her face. "Would it kill you to just let me be a good parent? I might not know tons about it, but it'd help if you let me do the dad thing every once in a while. Just because your dad sucked doesn't mean I have to—" Tony paused, hearing the faucet turn off. "Are you seriously washing your face right now?"

   "Would you prefer if I was a disgusting human being and didn't?"

  "Honestly, yeah," replied Tony while Riley went through the rest of her evening routine. "You know what I thought when I was in Venice for Pepper and I's anniversary and I got that call from JO?"

   "Are you gonna tell me?" asked Riley, finishing up her routine. She walked out of her bathroom and walked into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.

  "I was extremely worried," Tony said. "As a matter of fact, I was so worried that I got on the soonest flight possible and I've been traveling ever since." There was a beeping sound that came from the phone call, indicating that the call had ended; however, Tony's voice continued to travel throughout Riley's condo, confusing her greatly. "And now I'm here."

   Riley's eyes widened when she realized he had been standing a few feet behind her. She nearly spat out her water out of surprise. Tony smirked at her smugly. "Did I scare you?"

   "Nope."

   Tony chuckled to himself, knowing that he did.

   She placed her glass of water down while Tony approached her. Riley looked up at him, knowing for a fact that comforting others wasn't his strongest trait. She was almost amused trying to figure out what he was going to do. When he placed a hand on her shoulder, Riley couldn't do it. She burst out with laughter.

   "Oh, what now?"

   Riley shook her head, giggling profusely. "Sorry, sorry!" she apologized, leaning forward with laughter. "I just wasn't sure where you were going with the whole comfort thing this time. Oh, man..." She wiped a tear that wasn't actually there. "That was hilarious!"

   Tony rolled his eyes, shoving her in a playful manner. "Just for that, you're paying for dinner tonight, Tink," he told her, walking toward the living room. He practically threw himself onto the couch. "Pepper will be here any minute and she's starving, so you better start ordering that pizza fast."

   "If you don't say please, I'm not ordering your stuffed crust," Riley lightly threatened whilst trailing into the living room.

   Tony turned around immediately. "You wouldn't."

   "Try me, pops," Riley fired back with a challenging smirk.

   Tony frowned. "Fine," he mumbled. "Please?"

   She only shook her head at him as Pepper went walking into the condo. Normally, Riley would have complained about how easy it was for them to just walk in, but, then again, Pepper and Tony were the ones who technically owned the condo. Plus, they were sorta her parents now. She wondered if she'd ever get used to that.

   Gathering around on the couch with her legal guardians, she couldn't help but be unable to wipe the smile off of her face. After what felt like the best day of her life with one of her best friends in the world and finishing it off with Tony and Pepper, she felt like the happiest girl in the world.

   If this was what the rest of her life was meant to look like, Riley Stark simply couldn't wait.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

wow! life is....so good right now??? i love that for riley!

it :) would :) be :) really :) awful :) if :) things :) went :) bad :) all :) of :) a :) sudden :)

ALSO a wonderful reader of mine made a poster and a gif banner for this book, and it is absolutely stunning. also i've never had a follower just randomly make me something, and i am so honored???!! therefore, i'd like to dedicate this chapter to @PinkehArt for the lovely edits<3<3